Welcome to Our Blog.

At McLeod Health, we are dedicated to providing useful health and medical information to our community. Take a look at our blog categories and choose those that interest you. Be sure to subscribe to each category of interest and we will send you new blog articles as they are posted.

The fact that our hip or knee joints wear out shouldn’t surprise us. Consider this: forces 4 to 8 times our body weight are exerted millions of times each yearon our hip and knee joints. If you are considering hip or knee joint surgery, you may also be interested in learning more about the materials used in hip and knee joint implants, along with some advantages and disadvantages of each.

Ray loved weekend pick up football games. The competition. The excitement. The flashback to his high school football days. He’d stop, turn quickly and leap to catch a pass. Then… snap, pop. Ow! What happened? Ray fell to the ground with a stabbing pain in the back of his ankle. Ray’s not in high school anymore and his season is over. Like many 30 to 50 year-old recreational athletes -- who run, or play basketball and football – Ray has torn his Achilles tendon.

“Total Hip Joint Replacement remains one of the most common and most successful Orthopedic approaches for people with hip problems,” says McLeod Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. Michael Sutton of McLeod Orthopaedics Dillon. “Your surgeon replaces the injured or arthritic top of the leg (femur) with a stem and ball. A cup is set into the hip to complete the cup-and-ball joint.” Another lesser known, but occasionally discussed, repair for a bad hip is called resurfacing.In this procedure, a cup section is still set into the hip.However, rather than sawing off the top of the femur and replacing it with a metal stem and ball, the top of the leg bone is resurfaced and a cap is placed over it.

A runner, a military recruit and a basketball player may be different in their type of activity but all can experience pain in their feet due to a stress fracture. It is a cross-section of the most common people who might suffer from the orthopedic issue of a stress fracture. Women seem to be more at risk than men.

Three things to know about pain management following a knee or hip joint replacement: One, you WILL feel better after your total knee replacement or hip joint replacement when you are fully recovered. Two, your medical team will use advancements in postoperative pain management to control your pain while you are in the hospital. And three, you should expect some discomfort when you return home.

Your doctor lifts your arms up over your head. Then, you are asked to slowly drop your arms down by your side. Both arms slowly move until they are straight out from the shoulder. As you continue, one arm just falls quickly to your side. Sometimes a diagnosis does not require the use of diagnostic testing equipment. In this case, the simple (and simply named) “Drop Arm Test” can tell your Orthopedic Specialist if an important group of muscles in your shoulder – the rotator cuff -- is torn.

“So,” you ask, “why are we talking about ski and snowboard injuries when we are in the Southeast?” Those who enjoy snow sports on a regular basis and often every year know what to expect.However, if you live in the South and plan an occasional ski trip, it is like a Northerner who takes a beach trip once a year, the unexpected can leave you hurting. The following tips will help you know what to expect and what to avoid so that you can have a safer, enjoyable trip.

Surgery of any kind involves certain risks. Continuing developments in surgical technique and technology have significantly reduced those risks for total joint replacement patients. “In fact, serious complications in knee or hip joint replacement are found in less than 2 percent of patient outcomes,” says McLeod Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. Rodney Alan of McLeod Orthopaedics. “Yet, as an informed patient, awareness of the possible complications will help you communicate any problems with your Orthopedic Surgeon.”

“Fashion knows no pain,” a line probably coined by a fashion designer. You know it’s not true, if only based on your personal experience with high heels, neckties or backpacks. Purses and handbags are another place where fashion absolutely can cause you pain.How many of the following do you carry daily in a handbag or purse: wallet, phone, computer, keys, makeup, water bottle, notebook, diary, pens, pencils, workout clothes, gym shoes, umbrella…?

With modern materials and surgical techniques, your knee or hip joint replacement is likely to last 10 to 20 years – or even your entire life. Some people do need to redo the joint replacement. Several causes can require this so-called revision surgery:

What’s the first thing they ask you to do in school? Raise your hand. Right? So, if it’s something you’ve practiced most of your life, why does it hurt so much now? One possible answer: You may need a shoulder joint replacement, the third most common joint replacement after kneesand hips.“The shoulder is more complicated than some joints in the body,” says Dr. Pat Denton of Pee Dee Orthopaedic Associates. “It’s actually several joints with muscles and tendons that enable a broad range of motion, enabling you to reach for your wallet, swing a golf club and hammer a nail.

How much difference does 20 years make? In 1994, a British study determined that you should not drive for at least 8 weeks after a total joint replacement in your right knee.Twenty years later, how has the advancement in surgical technique, implant materials, pain management and physical rehabilitation, changed the guidance on when you can return to driving? “We start with the understanding that you should not be on pain medications or narcotics,” says McLeod Orthopedic Specialist Dr. Michael Sutton. “The next benchmark is whether your reflexes and normal strength have returned. And the third variable is whether it’s your right or left knee or hip.”

From a presentation by Dr. Eric Heimberger McLeod Orthopaedics Seacoast

In any surgery, there is some level of risk.However, advancements in technology and surgical technique for hip joint replacements has raised the level of success and lowered the possibility of infection, blood loss, nerve damage or other complications says McLeod Orthopedic specialist Dr. Eric Heimberger.

From a presentation by Dr. Eric Heimberger McLeod Orthopaedics Seacoast

Today’s total knee joint replacement patient is helped to get back on their feet and start physical rehabilitation the same day of surgery. Dr. Eric Heimberger offers an overview of this common surgical procedure.

From a presentation by Dr. Eric Heimberger McLeod Orthopaedics Seacoast

Nagging knee or hip pain can be mentally aggravating while keeping you from enjoying life.McLeod Orthopedic Surgeon Eric Heimberger, M.D. provides a list of more than a half dozen more conservative, non-surgical options that might help you avoid surgery:

You’re thinking about a total joint replacement. And there is a lot to think about when it comes a new knee or hip joint. “The actual surgery for knee replacement or hip replacement is very common, but gives a patient much to consider, “ says McLeod Orthopedic Specialist Dr. Michael Sutton. “Testing, the day of surgery, pain, coming home, returning to your life and work. Here are some tips on avoiding problems after your surgery so that you get the most out of that new knee or hip.”

“I’m sweating like when I was a kid picking cucumbers in July,” thought Michael as he approached the airport security checkpoint. It was anxiety – not the summer heat – triggering Mike’s perspiration. He was taking his first airplane trip after receiving a hip joint replacement.“Will my hip set off the metal detector?Will they pull me out of line for an embarrassing and time-consuming special check?” worried Mike. Michael’s not alone. The rate of total joint replacements for knee and hips continues to climb. Even the U.S. economic downturn, starting in 2008, did not halt the growth of joint replacements. One researcher called them “recession proof.” If you’re like Michael – living with a knee joint or hip replacement and planning air travel -- you might have a few questions.

You finally decided to see an Orthopedic Specialist for that knee or hip pain. They diagnosed an arthritic or deteriorated joint. Conservative treatments didn’t work. Surgery was performed. Now what? McLeod Orthopedic Specialist Patrick Denton, M.D. outlines what you should see from this point on:

Traveling to a foreign country. Eating unfamiliar food. Having your hip or knee joint replaced. The “unknown” in anything can create anxiety.To help reduce your anxiety about total joint replacement, McLeod Orthopedic Surgeon Patrick Denton explains what you can expect.

The information on this site is intended to increase your awareness and understanding of specific health issues andservices at McLeod Health. It should not be used for diagnosis or as a substitute for health care by your physician.To report technical issues, please contact us. Public Access to Information or To Report a Concern.